One day after he was fired as Blue Jackets coach, Ken Hitchcock hinted that his days with the organization are probably not finished, that he's more than likely to assume a senior adviser role in the front office before next season.

The last two times Hitchcock was fired -- by Dallas and Philadelphia -- he jumped at the first job he was offered. He said it'll take the "absolute right situation" to jump this time.

And it's not because of coaching fatigue.

Hitchcock, who has two years left on his contract with the Blue Jackets, confirmed to The Dispatch last night that he made promises to late majority owner John H. McConnell in the weeks leading up to his death two summers ago.

Hitchcock would not get into details.

"I feel a very strong personal obligation to the McConnell family and to (president) Mike Priest," Hitchcock said. "I have a contractual obligation, yes, but it goes beyond that.

"I came here to Columbus to build this franchise up from the ground, get the job done. We got a lot accomplished, but not all of it. So we'll see what happens."

Hitchcock is due to be paid $1.33 million the following two seasons, but the Blue Jackets will not have to pay him if he accepts another job.

Already he has been rumored to land with two struggling NHL franchises -- St. Louis and Edmonton. He isn't likely to be out of work long.

"I've been involved in mid-level teams where you're expected to take them to the highest level," he said. "And here I was coming in on the ground floor to build it up.

"Now, I'm going to take my time."

Hitchcock spoke to the media yesterday for the first time since his firing. He defended himself against growing charges of being difficult on young players, saying it was quite the opposite -- that he played young players for the good of the organization, knowing he could pay the price with his job.

"I'm proudest of the fact that I never blinked," Hitchcock said. "I never blinked on playing the younger guys. I never blinked on supporting the younger players, and I never blinked on continuing down the future path necessary to win hockey games.

"I never lost sight of the long-term goal of the organization, and I'm really proud of that."

The numbers and news tell a different story, however.

Early in the season, 2008 first-round draft pick Nikita Filatov returned to Russia in a spat over his ice time and role. Center Derick Brassard, expected to be the No. 1 center this season, was ninth on the club in ice time this season.

Also, many of the club's highly touted young players have severely underperformed this season.

Hitchcock pointed to captain Rick Nash as proof that he knows how to coach young players.

"I came here when Nasher was a young player," Hitchcock said. "Now he's one of the most complete players in the NHL.

"I really don't think (the criticism) is fair. How old was Nash when I got here? He's the same age as Brassard and some of the other guys now."

Hitchcock said he knew before the season started that several of the young players weren't ready to play in the roles they were expected to fill.

Asked when he knew it was going to be a tough season, he said, "September."

"I had a feeling even in the exhibition games that we had a lot of work to do," Hitchcock said.

Hitchcock, who was 125-123-36 with the Blue Jackets, said he's proudest of changing the culture of the organization, from one steeped in losing to one that expects to win.

"I'll be devastated if this team doesn't have success," he said. "It would really upset me.

"I came here for the right reasons. I'm not coaching anymore, but I want to see the job get finished."

aportzline@dispatch.com